Time to recount the middle portion of my day in Portland. When I was researching and making a list of things to do in Portland, I found suggestions for whale watching and lobster catching tours. While whale watching is #7 on Jordan’s top things to do in life, I decided lobster catching would be more of my cup of tea. The tour company I found to be the highest rated was Lucky Catch. What sealed the deal for me was a feature image on their homepage.

I wanted to have the same experience as this old lady.

Right at Commercial Street and Long Wharf, I spotted their sign. The Lucky Catch boat is 40 feet long and a nice shade of maroon.

The view of Portland from Atlantic waters.

The seagulls had the best seats on the boat! The Portland coastline was stunning!! It was a perfect day to be on the water – a nice 70s day with a slight breeze and warm sun. I could have stayed the whole day out there.

The bait.

Boys went bare hands for the fishies while I took a more precautionary and hesitant approach.

8 fishies to a bag. Don’t you love this guy’s reaction to whatever look I had on my face?

Will we be lucky?

Lucky indeed!

They have a special tool to rubber band the claws. First you open wide and slide over the pinchers, then twist, and guide the tool off. Piece of cake.

After we checked a trap, we had to throw out the old bait bag and tie on the fresh one. The seagulls went nuts for the left overs.

Sunning lobsters.

There is another tool to measure whether the lobster is legal. Before measuring, the sex of the lobster is determined by looking at their belly for the little fins. Any female lobsters then have be checked for a notch in their tail. If they have a notch, it means they are still young enough for breeding and can’t be harvested. This tool above is hooked in their eye socket and put along their back. If their middle segment is as long as or longer than the tool, they are a keeper! We had several keepers.

My old lady reenactment.

Once the trap is re-baited, it is ready to be pushed back into the water. It is important to do this with flat hands so that fingers don’t get caught in the trap as it sinks down.

The best story. I knew that I could take a lobster with me to have Maine Lobster Co. cook for me. So, I asked the captain for one. I assumed the lobster would be bagged and I would take it over. After helping the family in front of me bag 6 lobsters, he proceeds to grab a big plump lobster out of the tank and hand it to me. I look at him dumbfounded and ask if it is supposed to go in a bag. He told me no, just walk it over, and give it to the Maine Lobster Co. They’ll know to steam it for you. I proceed to tromp past the next group of lobster catchers waiting and walk into the Maine Lobster Co. The lobster is flapping and dripping with water. I think it knew it’s fate. I waited in line and had a lady take a picture with me and my lobster. Once it was my turn, I plopped the lobster on the counter. “One lobster special please,” I semi-confidently said. The guy without flinching said “coming right up.” He gave my lobster to the chef and left me with a cute lobster buzzer waiting to light up.

I’ve had lobster once in my life but never whole and steamed. While my lobster boiled alive, I googled how to eat a whole lobster. My buzzer went off a little sooner than planned which left me with having read steps 1 – 4 out of 9 on how to eat a lobster. Oh well, my lobster was ready and I could figure it out as I went. I am here to report a few things.

1. Lobster is delicious!

2. Eating lobster is messy and unattractive.

3. The green stuff inside is the liver and some consider it a delicacy. I did not eat it.

My first lobster catching and eating experience was fabulous. I couldn’t have asked for a better taste of Maine.

And He said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:19